Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle Reading App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and .

Journey back to a time of scandal, intrigue, and reckless desire in Madeline Hunter’s sensuous new novel, the tale of a man who will give up everything for the woman he’s determined to possess—even reveal his most sinful secret.

Only a desperate mission could bring Leona Montgomery face-to-face with the scoundrel whose dangerous sensuality once sent her fleeing from his arms. But she has under-estimated Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook. As irresistible as ever, his past swathed in mystery, Christian has his own plans for the woman he has waited seven years to claim. Yet once desire reignites, bringing a dangerous secret into the open, Leona will find herself bound to the seductive nobleman in ways she could never have imagined. Seven years have changed nothing: this man can tempt her to ruin with just one touch. With Leona’s reputation and hopes for her family’s salvation in tatters, she must follow the only course left to her…even as each step brings her closer to a shattering truth and a passion she can no longer live without.…

Best Books of the Year So Far
Looking for something great to read? Browse our editors' picks for 2015's Best Books of the Year So Far in fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, children's books, and much more.

{"currencyCode":"USD","itemData":[{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":6.99,"ASIN":"0440243963","moqNum":1,"isPreorder":0},{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":6.99,"ASIN":"0440243947","moqNum":1,"isPreorder":0},{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":6.99,"ASIN":"0440243955","moqNum":1,"isPreorder":0}],"shippingId":"0440243963::kGJTlsX18wBFU5f6QE%2FauENcknHJA1%2F3XXfinivrFrzfP1Cu6w2pnKrRfsU6XIKis0TXYH0KKA92bEz9AKGtXmdjylenvnnNWz8A2%2F84qGg%3D,0440243947::ybjABwsl1mLC2HCmwvo9vjErTMmO3MLaychlc01ycAMUY3g4ZG3N1kYwzYzyuk9SdWcVOVHluj%2B5yuoBFoYwTpIKIchsqlPh8OY5VkW11O0%3D,0440243955::ybjABwsl1mLC2HCmwvo9vs2uNMqdzMZHxk6GGxx3%2FalktQbtsesrx0Lnp8eQw%2Bb5lMzKS1qSV3HvLXK7EecoijbDDZm103cTlDG8%2BoEmITc%3D","sprites":{"addToWishlist":["wl_one","wl_two","wl_three"],"addToCart":["s_addToCart","s_addBothToCart","s_add3ToCart"],"preorder":["s_preorderThis","s_preorderBoth","s_preorderAll3"]},"shippingDetails":{"xz":"same","xy":"same","yz":"same","xyz":"same"},"tags":["x","y","z","w"],"strings":{"addToWishlist":["Add to Wish List","Add both to Wish List","Add all three to Wish List","Add all four to Wish List"],"addToCart":["Add to Cart","Add both to Cart","Add all three to Cart","Add all four to Cart"],"showDetailsDefault":"Show availability and shipping details","shippingError":"An error occurred, please try again","hideDetailsDefault":"Hide availability and shipping details","priceLabel":["Price:","Price for both:","Price for all three:","Price For All Four:"],"preorder":["Pre-order this item","Pre-order both items","Pre-order all three items","Pre-order all four items"]}}

About the Author

Madeline Hunter is a nationally bestselling author of historical romances who lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. In a parallel existence to the one she enjoys as a novelist, she has a Ph.D. in art history and teaches at an East Coast university.

More About the Author

I am a published novelist, a mother and wife, an art historian and a teacher. My first historical romance was published in 2000 and my bibliography shows the list of books since then. My books have been on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USAToday, and Publishers Weekly (where I have also had three starred reviews.) I have won the RITA award twice and been a finalist seven times. My novels combine strong romances between layered and complex characters with plots that include mysteries or intrigues.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I have been looking forward to this book for what seems like forever. Throughout this series I have been intrigued by Lord Easterbrook. He was so different from all the other characters and I couldn't wait to see what made him tick. Unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations.

I think the statement that Easterbrook makes to Leona, "I am Easterbrook" really defines the entirety of his character. He's troubled yes, but the issues he has are overshadowed by his arrogance and belief in his own superiority. On one hand I think this is a refreshing attitude. It's hard sometimes to suspend belief when nobility act like they don't have a sense of entitlement. I think it's more realistic to show a nobleman secure in his belief that people should do what he says just because of who he is. On the other hand it makes him aggravating. His arrogance starts to grate and you have to wonder why Leona is letting him walk all over her.

When I learned the reason for Easterbrook's reclusive habits I was intrigued. I was eager to see how the author would handle this disability. I never felt like that was explored though. There was no need to get a handle on it because it seemed like it surfaced in fits and starts. We're told that it's a constant battle for him to deal with it, but it wasn't an issue when it would be inconvenient to the story and only appeared when the author wanted to show Easterbrook's angst. I wanted consistency and a real look at what a struggle life must be for him. We got vague memories of a hard childhood and the bitter realities of being able to see into an unhappy home, but it wasn't enough. I couldn't help but feel that everything skimmed the surface and nothing really had any depth.

I was fascinated with Lord Easterbrook when he first appeared in "Rules of Seduction." He was remote, uncivilized, and honestly, a little weird. But so commanding and masculine! Now we know all the nuances of his quirks, and why he gravitates toward Leona. I found Hunter's revelations about the Opium trade and British-Chinese dealings very well researched. Connecting to the characters humanized the whole situation. As always, Hunter weaves a story both historical and romantic, full of mystery and criminals who don't quite get away. The only sure thing is that someone will have a HEA, and it won't be the bad guys.

What would it be like if you had the ability to know the emotions and feelings of everyone around you; you could tell if they are lying to you, if they're feeling guilty about something, if they dislike you, if they desire you. Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook, has suffered from this problem his entire life and it's caused him to be something of a recluse. But he remembers a young woman whom he met in Macau years before, Leona Montgomery, who was somehow able to shield her thoughts and feelings from him.

Leona has made her way to London in order to try to set up some more shipping deals for her late father's business which her brother has now inherited. However she has a second mission, to try to find out who was behind the intimidation of her father and to expose the trade in opium with which various peers of England are involved. When she meets the Marquess of Easterbrook she discovers that the man she knew as Edmund in Macau is actually a titled Lord, perhaps one of those involved in the trade - especially as she suspects him of stealing her father's notebook.

As Christian and Leona get to know each other again he begins a determined pursuit of her. But Leona knows she will need to return to Macau eventually and that she's not the right sort of person for Christian anyway. But in order to keep Leona safe Christian will have to spend a great deal of time with her and he may find he can't live without her calming influence on his life - even though his secrets may drive her away.

Once again this was another good book by Madeline Hunter, one that had a rather original storyline and whose pacing was very good.Read more ›

I have found that Madeline Hunter succeeds in only one in every third book these days. This is one of her weaker novels. Easterbrook is not a very likeable character. He's egotistical and arrogant to a fault. I don't mind a domineering, egotistical hero, but Hunter paints Easterbrook with too strong a brush. He's very oft-putting. The reader doesn't really care for him until 150 pages into the book. And, even then, one never completely warms to him. Her heroine, Leona, is more likeable. But, the story centers mostly around Easterbrook's strangeness, not Leona. He is just plain weird. I never bought into Hunter's characterization of Easterbrook's "gift" and his Eastern mysticism and meditation. She tries to make him mysterious, but ends up making him seem otherworldly. That's not the kind of hero I find attractive. Maybe others will. I hope Hunter tries a different tack and is more successful in her next effort.